Good morning Southern California and welcome. If you're food obsessed, you've come to the right place. Join us for the next two hours and you won't go away hungry. One of the first American culinary icons, junior child said, "People who love to eat are always the best people." We agree. Live today from the boutique West Rift Manhattan Beach, an autographed collection hotel. The official hotel of Manhattan Beach food and wine. The SoCal Restaurant Show is on the air. And welcome back. It is our two of the SoCal Restaurant Show, but it is a very special show. We are celebrating this morning, the 12th anniversary of the launch of the SoCal Restaurant Show. And we're celebrating at the inaugural Manhattan Beach Food and Wine Festival. Tonight is the last night of the event. It is the grand tasting. It is right down the street from where we are now at the West Drift at Manhattan Plaza. And I just love our remote location. We are overlooking their nine whole par three golf course. And it is amazing in Manhattan Beach to have a property this large because I got to believe the highest and best use of this expansive golf course is probably not a nine whole golf course. And I'm delighted that it is preserved from being developed because boy, do we love the open space. Again, I want to acknowledge the hospitality of the West Drift Manhattan Beach, which is an autographed collection hotel. They are hosting our remote this morning. And we have had to ask for nothing. They have a really great staff here and they're on top of it. And coming from the luxury hotel business many, many years ago, I really appreciate good service where you find it. Also, I want to recognize the whole team that is here at the remote. We have Mike Boyle, who is to my right, who is the chief engineer of AMA 30, who is kind enough to come out this morning because he wanted to make sure this went well. And of course, back in the control room in AMA 30 in Anaheim, we have Tony in technical excellence. So we appreciate everybody as far as that's concerned. Now, Manhattan Beach Food and Wine, this is a great opportunity to have food that you will not be able to get anywhere else and also do meet and greet with the best chefs that are in Los Angeles, plus a lot of chefs from out of area that unless you went to New York, Vancouver, or New Orleans, you're not going to get their food. But there's a serious purpose to this. And there is a serious charitable beneficiary. Anyone that's listened to this show for any period of time knows that I'm a big supporter of the careers through culinary arts program. And we have a chance to spend a few minutes with Lisa Fontanese, who is the LA director. She has been there over a decade. And she will explain what the CCAP involvement in Manhattan Beach Food and Wine is. But in addition to being a monetary beneficiary of this event, it's also a great opportunity for CCAP students. Lisa, as always, it is a pleasure to welcome you back to the SoCal restaurant show. You were everywhere last night. Tell us a little bit about how the CCAP kids are involved in this event because it's something very meaningful. It is. Good morning. Thank you for having me in person. And it is absolutely stunning today. So yes, first of all, big thank you to Lawrence Moore and Shelby Russell for inviting CCAP to the inaugural event to be their charity partner. And we received a beautiful $10,000 donation. Some of it will go to scholarships to our students this year. And the rest is to help our program expand and grow. But the best part of last night and this evening is each evening. We're having 25 students come out and work hands-on, one-on-one with the chefs, be mentored. Then in 9.30 in the evening, they were all welcomed onto the stage. And just truly, when they showed up at four o'clock in the afternoon after being at a full day of school, yesterday we had three of our more South Bay schools. So we had Browning, Richard D Browning High School from Long Beach. We had banning high school from Wilmington. And we had Losinger High School from Hawthorne. And they brought 25 students. And they were shy and quiet and a little scared. And we fed them, thanks again to Lawrence, and just delicious chicken from, I believe, it's box brothers. But they enjoyed it. And they were being videotaped, tasting it. Then we dressed them up and paraded them around to meet all the chefs. And then they started working. And what I noticed and saw and was privileged to was people coming up to me and saying, how great your kids are. This is amazing. And they're dressed in their sea cap jackets. And then they're in there, which is donated by chef works. And they're in their hats with sea cap. And then they had the Manhattan Beach aprons on. So they're dressed. They're in their uniform. They're ready to work. And then just all the amazing chefs, Neil and David and Sherry and Elizabeth Faulkner, just walking them through what to do and how to do it and letting them serve and letting them talk. And then wonderfully, one of the chefs was our own Dustin Traney, who went through the program in San Pedro, the sea cap program. He owns two restaurants. Tonight, we have Hyrule Martinez, another sea cap alum. But a beautiful accident was one of our alumni who started working with Antonio LaFossa five or six years ago through our job training program is now an executive sue. And she was out there number twoing the Antonio LaFossa table, Maria Landa from Dorsey High School. So we get to see sea cap in its prime doing what it's supposed to do, which is be the bridge and help support these wonderful chefs that support us. But we're bringing the next generation to restaurants and hospitality. Lisa, obviously very exciting. Now, Los Angeles, of course, I think was the second area that had a sea cap program. But just to let our listeners know, this is a national endeavor. So besides New York and Los Angeles, what other areas of the country have sea cap programs? So we have the entire state of Arizona. We have Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. And then now we are also expanding into Florida. And I believe they are working on there is another location in Dallas. I'm sorry. Dallas are the next locations that are coming on board. And so it's really exciting. It's an amazing program. Marcus Samuelson is our chef co-chair of our national board. And so he's been helping and pushing to get us expanding into some of these amazing locations. And then Tanya Steele and Jennifer Solomon are two co-executive people on the national level, really working hard to get our program more and more known. But locally, we all work so hard, like boots on the ground with our students, with our chefs. And each location has amazing, unique opportunities. And that's what our job is. And that's what my job is, is to just keep growing the program, get our students out there, and support these amazing chefs that support us. Lisa, let's talk about some of the results of LA, which I know you're very proud of. Sea cap is a lot more than an annual scholarship program. But I never get tired of talking about the scholarship program. So for this year at the awards breakfast, how many students got scholarships? And what was the total value of the scholarships that were donated this year just for the greater LA area? Sure. So just for LA, just to give a little back up, it's a two-part process to cooking competitions. We had 115 juniors and seniors participate in prelims. And then we move on about 36 seniors. And then we award two special scholarships to juniors. So at the awards breakfast, 36 seniors, two juniors were awarded over $720,000 worth of scholarships. Lisa, as I say, I never get tired of hearing that. Now, for those sea cap students that don't necessarily want to pursue an academic career or further academia, what can sea cap do to help them that are still interested in getting involved in the hospitality industry? Absolutely. So post secondary is one of the things we offer. But we also are a, through the Department of Labor, a pass-through apprenticeship program for Cook 1, baking 1, and hospitality. So there is the national apprenticeship program that we have. We work with Marriott hotels. We work with the Jonathan Club. We're just partnering with, oh, this is great. Who did we just go visit this two days ago down in Santa Barbara? You were with, that was the Ritz Carleton Cara. Yes. So Ritz Carleton, thank you very much a little early this morning. And just some great Neil Chef, Neil Frazier, takes our students. So that's one. We do a job training program for kids 15 and a half and older, where we put them in internships yesterday afternoon or evening after the kids working. I heard four or five students were offered opportunities. A few were so young that they were like, call us in three years, but you have a job. So, I mean, this is what sea cap is about. And even if they're not going into this industry, we really feel that the skills we give them, just how to meet people, how to feed their families, how to write a resume, a cover letter, how to shake someone's hand and look in their eyes, is going to help them in whatever it is they do. So that's really what sea cap is about, is supporting the youth today. And it may be through culinary, but it doesn't have to be that that's their pathway. Well, at least you bring up a very important point. This, the culinary program that sea cap does for high school students, this is kind of a good proof of concept for them because some of these young people find that this really isn't what they want to do. And it's great for them to be able to know that now versus, you know, wasting time going down the wrong path. And as we've been talking about all morning, as much as we love the hospitality industry, and we appreciate chefs and restaurateurs, this is not necessarily an easy life. And you really need to embrace it going into it because they're easier ways to make a living. Yes, so I mean, we find it a win if we have a young person come out and go, this is not for me. They're still part of sea cap will help figure other things. The other beauty of what we do in this Thursday coming up, we're doing an industry panel and mission college. We don't call it a chef's panel anymore because we invite people from all aspects of hospitality, culinary, food TV, food science, photography, all these sort of things, and show them there's so many different paths. So they don't have to just be in the kitchen or in a hotel. It can be business, real estate, doing a radio show, all these sort of things. So that's our job is to just open pathways and ideas. And again, if it's not for them, yay, we've helped them maybe save a whole lot of time and money going down the wrong path. But we're there to see how we can help them. And that's what we love doing. We have an amazing staff of four amazing women. And we all work hard and we're all second, third and fourth moms to these students. And we love what we do. Well, Lisa, nobody could have said it better than you have. I've been involved in C-Cap for 20 years now. And it is just gratifying to see how the program is grown and evolved in LA. The need is obviously out there. Obviously, chefs and restaurateurs have a new appreciation for C-Cap after the pandemic. We're sorry that had to happen, but all of a sudden, I'll see Cap is top of mind. And there's nothing wrong with that is we need to say goodbye, Lisa, because we have Chef Hyrule waiting in the wings. What is the best website for listeners to get more information about C-Cap? C-Cap, it's www.c-cap-inc.org. Yeah, the.org is what's important. Lisa, again, what a wonderful success for C-Cap. This event, we're going to do it again tonight for the grand tasting. It's going to be even bigger, and I look forward to seeing you out there. Thank you. And thank you for always supporting Miss Andy. You're the best. My pleasure. You are listening to the special anniversary edition of The SoCal Restaurant Show, 12 years. Who would believe it? We're going to be back in a moment with Chef Hyrule Martinez of Westwood Coast Steakhouse in Costa Mesa. We're proudly presented by Melissa's World Variety Proters and West Coast Prime Meats. Don't wander far. Angels Ringo. AME 30. Melissa's World Variety Proteus is quietly celebrating their 40th anniversary of success this year. Many years of dedication and very hard work have built Melissa's into the largest global specialty produce distributor in the nation, still proudly family-owned. Let's talk about the new and unusual year-round precious honeyglob pineapples from Costa Rica. Melissa's and Del Monte join forces in an exclusive collaboration to introduce the newest member of the honeyglob family. Precious honeyglob, a mini pineapple packing the same punch of ultra-sweet golden flavor as honeyglob in a charmingly petite size. This treat starts with unique growing conditions and slow ripening on the stem for peak sweetness. Notice the distinctive honey-colored shell, a promise of sunshine-infused flavor in every bite. These tasty little pines are shipped within 48 hours of harvest. They're as fresh as you can get. Consider cutting off the skin while leaving on the crown and quartering the fruit to create spears or lollipops. Sprinkle with fresh lime juice and Melissa's Pico de Gallo fruit seasoning. Recipes available at Melissa's.com. Melissa's World Variety Proteus celebrates their 40th anniversary of success this year and is still proudly family-owned. Many years of dedication and very hard work have built Melissa's into the largest global specialty produce wholesale distributor in the nation. Let's now talk about the salivating tree ripen mangoes from Peru and Mexico. The varieties of mangoes available include Hayden's, Kent's, Manzanillos, Tommy Atkins, or Keats. Tree ripen mangoes are seasonal and far superior when it comes to other varieties of mangoes. This fruit gets special treatment by staying on the tree longer than most which results in an unmatched richness with a perfectly sweet finish. Choose fruit that is firm with a slight give, has flawless skin and a fresh scent. Refrigerate ripe mangoes for up to a week while you wait to enjoy. Recipe for no-bake mango cheesecake available at Melissa's.com. That's Melissa's.com. The SoCal restaurant show is live from the West Drift Manhattan Beach, an autographed collection hotel. Manhattan Beach is visited by 3.8 million enthusiastic tourists annually. And welcome back. It is the 12th anniversary edition of the SoCal restaurant show. We're proud to be supporting the inaugural Manhattan Beach Food and Wine Festival. The grand tasting is tonight right down the street. We are at the West Drift Manhattan Beach Hotel, an autographed collection hotel who is the official hotel sponsor and is also sponsoring our live remote this morning and we have wanted for nothing. It is lovely to see a premium hotel that when they say they give great service that they actually deliver that. Sitting across from me right now is Hyrow Martinez. Hyrow is very special to us for a couple reasons but not the least of which is he is a sea camp alum who has gone on to do well. Very prominent in the Orange County area. He has opened some very successful restaurants in Orange County, worked with some very big celebrity chefs and now has a new adventure in Triangle Square called the Westwood Coast Steakhouse. And with that is background sitting across from me it is a pleasure to welcome Hyrow back to the show. Hyrow, good morning. Hi, good morning. Thank you for having me. Well, of course. Now, Hyrow, we want to make sure that we sell out Manhattan Beach Food and Wine tonight. General admission starts at seven. There's still a few tickets available. Manhattan Beach Food and Wine dot com. Let's tease our audience if you will about what Westwood Coast Steakhouse is preparing for this evening. Yeah, perfect. So for this evening we put together a porquette with bread from La Brea Bakerie, a roasted pork choux sauce on the side for it to be more of a dip style. So that's one that I'm really excited for. We get to kind of work with this amazing product and kind of just let the pork shine through for that one on the opposite side of that we have a short rib egg melody with green apple that we're also doing. That's one that you will find on our menu consistently. So we wanted to bring something that's more familiar with what we do in the restaurant and kind of showcase a big part of that as well. And you should mention, you sort of mentioned it, but you don't necessarily expect to have signature pasta dishes on a steak house menu yet at Westwood Coast Steakhouse you do. And of course pasta is something Chef I wrote that you're pretty familiar with in some of your previous fine dining restaurants. You definitely have the touch with pasta. Thank you. Tell us in terms of pasta-wise, what else is on the pasta menu at Westwood Coast? So currently we have the shorter bangability that we will be showcasing tonight. Which is, I don't mean to interrupt you, but having had a chance to sample that previously, that is a standout dish. But you were saying, yeah. We also do a linguine with clams and an absence sauce that we make. We are currently working on a crab pasta and a spiny lobster pasta as well. So a lot of a couple of fun things coming in and it just gives my whole team just a chance to be creative and really see what fun stuff we can come up with working with these local fishermen as well out by the Dana Point Harbor. Can't Chef can't get any fresher than that? Now you're very fortunate that you were teamed up with at Westwood Coast, a veteran general manager who really knows about service. Obviously, you know, the kitchen can be firing on all cylinders, but if you're not delivering on the service side, particularly for a premium steakhouse, because let's face it, you know, prime meat is not inexpensive. Tell us a little bit about the partnership you have with him. Yeah, so we actually do have an amazing team that we've put together, especially in the front end. We have our general manager, Michael, who comes from Boa Steakhouse out here actually in Manhattan Beach and, you know, literally right down the street. Right down the street and our assistant general manager, Chris, who's just an Orange County veteran. He's been there for the last 30 years of his life. He's operated endless amounts of restaurants out there and just created a lot of concepts. So between them, they've been able to build something that's very elegant in the way that, you know, the structure works with the way that service just runs through with the steakhouse. You want something that's a little bit more elevated, something that's more knowledge-based when speaking a guest. You know, it's a lot of work kind of telling the story to the guests, but also with that being a mechanical bull in-house and a late night and live music, you have to maintain the fun aspect of it, which I think that they've done a really amazing job at just hitting both ends. Well, you mentioned something interesting, Hyro. For your restaurant, it really has a bifurcated personality. And what I mean by that is, is during normal dinner hours, you are a premium steakhouse. But late at night, there's a transformation. So just mention that to our audience because we don't want people to get confused. Yeah. So we are a steakhouse from 5 to 10, and then on the weekends from 10 to 2 a.m., we'll do either a live band or a live DJ. Everything is country-based. We do have a mechanical bull, which operates, and it's actually it's a real fun kind of part of the restaurant because, you know, you get this beautiful amazing meal and then you just go and jump on the bull. And it's right there in the entrance as you come in. You can't miss El Toro. Yeah. And it's just it adds a fun atmosphere, which is a little bit different with your usual steakhouses. You know, we steakhouses have this persona that you have to be stuffy and sit up right and be dressed up and, you know, huge glasses of wine and big steaks and everything's just very gorgeous for with us. It's more the fun part of it, the setting, the vibe that you're in a western style film, even if I've heard before from some of the guests where it's just feels like you're somewhere in Montana. And it's adding a whole other layer to one, what Costa Mesa is, a more up and coming with the food scene. You know, there's a lot more chefs and talent coming out there. But for us, it's kind of taking the idea of a traditional steakhouse and what a saloon would be, where it's a little bit more diving and kind of just mixing to and finding a good middle ground for both. So a lot of fun stuff going on there. Hi, we're definitely a high energy level there. Now, as we're bound out of time, another unexpected menu item is, is of course everybody's got chicken wings. But no, you know that you need to have something like that, but it has to be elevated. So very briefly, tell us about your duck wings, which again, if wings appeal to you when you come to Westwood Coast, this is something you should order. Yeah. So those actually came off of the same thinking where, you know, you want something that is familiar and comforting for, you know, the everyday guests as we're transitioning into teaching people about different products and time is a step out of their comfort zone. You still want to give them a little bit of something that they're comfortable with. So, you know, what's more known than a chicken wing. So for us, we're like, okay, well, you know, huge fan of duck. It's, it's more we've worked with it a lot like in the French style of cuisine that we've done before in the past. But for us, it's like, okay, well, how do we make it more steakhouse friendly? How do we make it more barish friendly? So we went through the whole process of, you know, it's a really complex dish when you really break it down. It's about a three day process. I don't doubt it. You know, we smoke it, we braise it, we fry it, we grill it, and then it just even the sauce product for it is a good two days to complete. So, you know, a lot of work, but it does have kind of like an Asian type flavor to it. You'll get some smoke, you'll get some of the like grill effect, even though it's a fried item. So, you know, it's overall it's a really fun dish for us to make and for us to eat. Really, at this point, we're just making a lot of things that we enjoy eating ourselves. So, nothing wrong with that. I always, we need to say goodbye. We're in Triangle Square is Westwood Coast because this confuses a lot of people. Yeah. So, bus was coast. It's on the corner of Newport and Harbor. It's right on the corner spot. You'll see a huge 50 foot American flag and ginormous wooden doors. So, you really can't miss it. And it's on the first floor. Right. And plenty of parking there. People get scared about that, but a lot of parking there. And there's no cost. So, again, don't be intimidated. Ladies and gentlemen, one of our Distinguished Sea capsule alums, Hyra Martinez, it's Westwood Coast Steakhouse. But you can see them tonight at the Manhattan Beach Food and Wine Festival for the grand tasting. Hyra, thanks. We look forward to following your progress. Thank you so much for having me. You are listening to the SoCal restaurant show. It is actually our 12th anniversary show when we return the executive chef of Wolfgang Puck catering, Eric Klein, a longtime frequent guest on the SoCal restaurant show. So, it's very appropriate for Eric to be with us today. We're probably presented by Melissa's World Variety Produce. Give us a couple of minutes. We'll be back. Let's talk about the underappreciated Rambutan. Closely related to the Laichi and Logan, the Rambutan is very unusual looking with its hairy appearance. It gets its name from the Malaysian word for hair. It has a juicy, sweet texture and an enjoyable flavor, similar to a Laichi, but less acidic. Peel off the hairy skin to extract to fruit and remove the seed. The rosy flavor of the Rambutan resembles the strawberry and muscad grape. Its fragrant perfume characterizes this unique fruit. The Rambutan can be eaten by itself or in salads with vegetables and sauces. This should not be peeled until just before they are served. Remove peel and black seed. Sometimes the seed is used in cooking such as tea. When using Rambutans in cooking, add it last minute for fragrant flavor. Recipes are on the Melissa's website at melises.com. Enjoy. Hey there, SoCal Foodies. Are you planning a trip to Las Vegas? Want to elevate your dining experience while you're there? I'm Al Mancini, a veteran Las Vegas food writer who's honored to be a frequent guest on the SoCal restaurant show. I'm also the creator of Neon Feast, your ultimate guide to the best eats in the entertainment capital of the world. After 22 years of sharing my favorite Vegas restaurants with the world, I've now asked dozens of Las Vegas' best chefs, restaurant owners, journalists, critics, and influencers where they send their own friends and family and compiled their picks in over 100 categories. So whether you're craving authentic Italian grape pizza, fresh sushi, or plant-based dining, planning a date night or looking for a place to watch a big game, Neon Feast has you covered. Before you embark on your next Las Vegas adventure, download the Neon Feast app from the Google Play Store or the App Store or visit www.neonfeast.com. The SoCal restaurant show is live from a West Rift Manhattan Beach, an autographed collection hotel. Manhattan Beach prides itself on its 40 acres of pristine recreational beach areas. And welcome back. It is the special 12th anniversary edition of the SoCal restaurant show. Wow. We're here celebrating for the Manhattan Beach Food and Wine Festival, which continues this evening at Manhattan Village, literally right down the street from where we are at the West Drift Manhattan Beach, an autographed collection hotel, which is the official hotel of Manhattan Beach Food and Wine. And all of the out-of-town chefs that are part of this actually are staying at this property. So it's fun to be able to get these great guests that all they have to do is come down the elevator. Now, as we're celebrating the 12th anniversary of the show, I definitely wanted to get some of our chef friends for the duration of the show. One chef I really have enjoyed following his career for all these years, and it actually predates the debut of the SoCal restaurant show is chef and restaurateur Eric Klein. He is currently the executive vice president, culinary partner, and executive chef for the Wolfgang Puck catering company. But I originally met Eric, and he's sitting across from me, and he will remember this. When he was a Soo chef at Spago Beverly Hills, Eric, that doesn't seem that long ago, but it was. And it is a pleasure to welcome Chef Eric Klein to our 12th anniversary show, sitting across from me. Chef Eric, good morning, and you got a big day ahead of you. Absolutely. Thank you so much. Yes, I can. I believe it's been so many years, and it's fantastic. We have grown, we have evolved, and here we are, again, celebrating again, and sharing everything what we know about and in the hospitality, the food and the service, you know, that's the most important thing. And of course, the most important thing friendship. Eric, absolutely. And those are always important prerequisites. Now, Eric, going back, the one credit that you have in your lengthy career, and you are very well liked in the community, and also very well liked and respected by your colleagues. But what still impresses me to this day, how many years were you the executive chef and partner of Spago Las Vegas? Let me, I don't have enough hands to count. But overall, I've been right now with Wolfgang for the last 30 years on and off. So I think, you know, as part of my life, you know, the last 10, 11 years, where I was in Vegas, it was a fantastic platform, a great painting, if we can say, everything came together, you know, moved over there to open something different, and then Wolfgang said, don't fight it, come back home. You know, it's like the glorious sun always leaves, and always Wolfgang say, ah, here's my adoptive son from all the mother, and whatever. So long story short, the big brother of the family did the same thing, hospitality, create food, make memories, allow people to come meet like so many people, and be a part of the community. It's the most important thing. So I think, you know, all these years, and now back in LA and doing everything what Wolfgang wants us to do, and part of the catering and doing an odd job has evolved, we're a extension of Spago and all the brand of Wolfgang has built, and like he always says, I built a company with my two hands. So I think over the years it's been very, very fantastic. Well, Eric, you bring up several important points there, not the least of which is, is many celebrity chefs have not had the mandate and feeling that Wolfgang Puck has had over the years. And let me explain what I mean by that. Chef Wolfgang, I think, learned very early in the game that to grow his company, he had to bring his culinary partners along and make sure that they were well taken care of. They had responsibility, but also that they were rewarded economically in the same vein. And it sounds our listeners may think, well, yeah, you know, that's obvious, but no, it isn't. There are many celebrity chefs out there that in terms of building their empires, it's all about them, and it's not about the team. And as you've told me over the years with Wolfgang, he's very humble, and it is all about the team, and bringing his talent along as they can and develop. And I think you're the perfect example of that. Well, thank you, Andy. And I think, you know, we're going to elaborate that conversation a little bit and take it to a point. Team colleagues pass on a legacy, me being 30 years in the company over 45 years of trying to have experience and know, you know, what you think is new is old, what's old is new, what you know, you don't know nothing. It's always shared what is the most important when the people to make our next disciple or somebody wants to join, you know, to have the chefs and teach them and show them, you know, all the little techniques or anything, you know, I mean, we're very fortunate to have chef say, hey, you do it, make sure do the same thing, you know, we have the same philosophy where all my colleagues, my friends, my big sister Sherry, you know, we always say it takes the same amount of time to make something right or make it wrong. And I think the team building is the most important being part of the community, understanding and support everybody, education, allowing, I mean, yesterday I got a text message from Cindy Garvey, you know, and she's like, oh, Oliver wants to be a chef and he's going to school right now, can you help him out and can you tell him a couple of things? And I say, absolutely, it's just give an inspiration for the people. But, you know, that brings something else where our business has evolved to be part of a larger team. And I think that is very important. Well, and just something I want to share with our listeners, during your long tenure at Spago Las Vegas, you were very much a part of the community, but it was very well known that you were running Spago Las Vegas and you were the personality for Spago Las Vegas. You know, it was Wolfgang Puck Spago. We will not forget that, but it was Eric Klein in the kitchen. So, you had huge celebrities that when they came into town, they would call and not ask, you know, was Wolfgang going to be there? But no, is Eric Klein in the kitchen tonight because I want Chef Eric to cook for me? I mean, what an accolade, Chef Eric, particularly in a town like Las Vegas, that it's all about celebrities and headliners and glowing lights. So, I think, yeah, thank you so much for that. It's very kind, but I'm very humble. But one thing is, I always feel like the restaurant is like an extended or a living room from you invite your people and your friends to your house and you can give them basically good service. You cook wonderful food, you know, same thing from the produce. We also use Melissa, you know, now here in LA for some items. It's very important to allow them. We make memories for them. And I think, you know, if you take a minute to talk to somebody who comes in, who has a birthday with celebration and get him married, or you have a star, a bedmiddler selling the yarn, walking in, and you have rock steward and waxing, and you have so many other people. And then our locals coming in, and you have like the person who wants to talk, you kind of, you have Steve Wing coming, you have Larry Wuvo, all these wonderful people who basically have built Vegas. Yes, the colors of the community. Exactly. And they come in, I'll say, oh, yeah, you cook whatever you want. This is what I want. And it's amazing. You look inside the womb and you have like, oh, my goodness, it's fantastic. So I think, you know, it's always to take care of them. And you know, even in LA, everybody say LA is so big. But at the end of the day, we're a great community. Everybody knows everyone. And I've always filled from all the restaurants. We do at Fanny, or at Spago, or the Wolfgang Puck catering, when we do any on the museums, we do any on the locations we have from our corporate business, you know, from Sony and for many others and for the chargers. We treat the people in there because this people and the guests is going back to Spago and they say to Wolfgang, oh, my God, chef, I went to the chargers. The food was excellent. You know, this is fantastic. What you do? And then you bring Wolfgang over there and everybody says, oh, chef, I was in your restaurant last night. Is this just a full on business and hospitality all along? Now, Chef Eric, before we run out of time, and we're going to do another segment devoted to this in the future, but you just mentioned very quickly the association with the chargers. The chargers built a multi million dollar training facility very close to where we are here in Manhattan Beach. It's in El Segundo. It's called the Bolt. And it is a state of the art training facility for an NFL team that I don't believe any team has built anything like this ever. And they call it a cafeteria. I would not call it a cafeteria. I would call it a cafe. The Wolfgang puck catering company was chosen to design and build this and operate it just in a brief minute. Tell us about that because Chef Eric, what a challenge. I mean, you do the Oscars. You do the governor's ball. I mean, that's pretty heady. But you know, this is the NFL. This is big business. Absolutely. And I'm very proud of the team and everything came together. You know, our president, Pam Bronson, Megan Genevieve, VP Operation Eric Paulson. I have many other chefs who reports to me. Her person is like the original chef. I have Jack Leach, who is my chef now at catering. And so many other teams in Gary LaDuania makes all the pastries. But we all sit on and we say, okay, now we have the opportunity and we're allowed to be a part of that wonderful team. Like we all talk about, and cooking food, healthy food, does not have to be boring. And so about qualities and everything. I mean, you know, the players come in and they have like, you know, six ounce of protein, six ounce protein for an afternoon and then dinner and everything. They eat their big boys and it's fascinating. And they look so much smaller than a TV when you see them and you look them up and you're like, Oh my goodness. And but the end of the day is simple things, you know, it's amazing. Somebody posted something with a quarterback was eating the cranberry orange muffin and he's like, Hey man, it's all about the cranberry muffin. You know, you have to talk about that. It makes my day and everything. Food is medicine. Hospitality costs nothing. You come, you have everybody coming from the bowl, from the coach, from every single body, the client comes in, the owner comes in, the general manager, Joe comes in. I mean, it's just fascinating to be a part of that. And you know what? They are such a nice people. They are respectful, they are kind, the players that come in, they say, thank you, sir, no sir, thank you so much. And it's fascinating to see that. And I cannot be proud of my, more proud of my team. I have a chef over there, Jack is over there and Carlos is the general manager. So but one thing I want to say and the most important thing, I need to bring you over there so you can see also what we can do. And we can make sure you can be maybe coach Harris. Chef Eric, I am definitely going to take that you up on that kind offer. We just need to make, you know, wait for the right part in the season because this is serious business. Ladies and gentlemen, no surprise the success of Chef Eric Klein, really running the culinary side of Wolfgang Puck catering. But as he graciously says, he defers all of it to his team. You can see him tonight at the Manhattan Beach Food and Wine Festival for the grand tasting. Eric again, thanks for the time. Thanks for getting here early because you got a big evening in front of you. Yes, absolutely. And I'm so proud to be. Thank you so much for everybody for the sponsor, Vesta, and all the food at Manhattan Food and Wine Festival. It's fantastic. And you and everybody to be a part of that. I'm just excited. I'm going to cook great food and a little bit of Oktoberfest feel tonight, house made pretzel, beer sausage, celery, rumbula, a little different, two different kind of master. It's and fun. This is what we want. And Chef Eric, always the accent on fun. You are listening to the SoCal restaurant show we're proudly presented by Melissa's World Variety Produce. We are going to be back with our concluding segment of our 12th anniversary show, Don't Wonder Far. Angel's Radio. Melissa's World Variety Produce is quietly celebrating their 40th anniversary of success this year. Many years of dedication and very hard work had built Melissa's into the largest global specialty produce distributor in the nation, still proudly family owned. Let's talk about the new and unusual pink pineapples. Introducing a rare sweet treat, Pink Glow Pink Pineapples are now available to purchase. Experience the taste of paradise with this pink-hued majestic wonder. The Pink Glow has a delicious and unique taste with notes of candy pineapple aromatics. It's also less sour and acidic than a traditional pineapple. Juicier and sweeter in taste, Pink Glow Pineapples grow on a select farm in the South Central region of Costa Rica, which has the ideal soil and climate for growing pineapples. Fresh Del Monte has been developing and testing the Pink Glow for over 16 years to ensure the perfect taste in aromas, creating a blend that's just right. Recipe is available at Melissa's.com. That's Melissa's.com. Melissa's world variety produce is quietly celebrating their 40th anniversary success this year. Many years of dedication and very hard work had built Melissa's into the largest global specialty produce wholesale distributor in the nation. Let's talk about healthy and craveable Halloween entertaining. The Melissa chefs have created a fiendishly clever collection of hauntingly delicious recipes for your Halloween entertaining. The base ingredients are Melissa's exclusive selection of freaky fruits. These delicious items include Quano melon, dragon fruit, strawberry papaya, choramoya, and finger limes. Don't miss the freaky fruit salad and the dragon egg stew punch with cactus, pears, apple cider, and rambitans. Adults are part of the Halloween festivities too with the zombie Rita. It's a Quano melon cocktail with tequila, grandmagné, and a squeeze of lime. All the easy-to-follow recipes and tips are at Melissa's.com. The SoCal Restaurant Show is live from a West Rift Manhattan Beach, an autographed collection hotel. Manhattan Beach is known for its iconic 928-foot-long recreational pier, completed in 1920. It's home to the Roundhouse Aquarium. And welcome back. Sadly, there's the concluding segment of our 12th anniversary, anniversary show. But the better news is, is we're going to be right back here with you next week from 10 a.m. to 12 noon right here on AMA 30, K-L-A-A, the home of Angels Baseball. And also next week, the Ask the Chef segment with Chef Andrew Gould will be returning in this time period. But we hate to leave. We've been having a great time here this morning at our remote at the West Drift Manhattan Beach, an autographed collection hotel, who is the official sponsor of the hotel sponsor of the Manhattan Beach Food and Wine Festival. And believe it or not, it is an easy 10-minute walk from where we are right now to the event site, which is really impressive. I wanted to thank the West Drift Manhattan Beach for their hospitality. This morning, they have just been great in providing the space that we are in for our live remote. Also, all the refreshments and the pastries, everybody here has been very kind and cooperative. And we wanted to give them their due because a lot of people are not familiar with this hotel for whatever reason, but we're about to change that. So, representing them this morning is Jim McCaffordy, who is the director of catering and events for the West Drift Manhattan Beach. And with that as background, sitting across from me is Jim McCaffordy. Jim, good morning and welcome. Good morning. Thanks for having me. And congratulations on the anniversary, too. Yeah, thank you. That's a big deal. We're still kind of reveling in all of that. Now, we are on what you call the Jute patio here. Jute is the name of your restaurant, which we're going to talk about momentarily. But we have this incredible 180 degree view of your nine-hole three-part golf course. Jim, in this day and age in Manhattan Beach with the property values of all the residences that are around us, how does this still continue to exist? How is it not developed into townhomes? Well, we're glad it's not because it's beautiful open space. You see all the birds that are out here now, right? And every year we see more and more, and they have their babies here and they come back. So, it's quite the sanctuary. And, you know, a lot of people in the South Bay know there's coyotes in the area, and we have to watch out for them, too, at night. So, nobody... They're little devils, yes. But it is a great place, and this is an amazing place to come into work every day. Tell us a little bit about the background of the hotel, because it's big, but it doesn't feel like a big corporate business hotel. You have a very relaxed vibe here, and obviously that's conscious. So, yeah, the hotel back before COVID was the Manhattan Beach Marriott. So, we're just off Rose-Crantz Boulevard, just a couple blocks down, of course, from the village. Like you said, it's a 10-minute walk. So, yeah, starting as the Manhattan Beach Marriott, and then the property was redeveloped into Autograph Collection Hotel, which is 320 individual boutique properties, and we all get to bring something different to the game of Marriott. So, you know, this property was redeveloped, opened for about six, seven months, and then COVID hit, of course. So, the hotel remained opened, but it was kind of mothballed almost for about two years. So, when I came on board, I was able to kind of restart the hotel. We had just come out of it. We brought in new staff. We brought in some new sales managers, event managers, culinary team, just to kind of revamp and bring everybody, you know, this great product that we have now. So, it's great because we got to really reimagine what this hotel is, and our ownership group is great, and they just give us kind of free reign to do whatever we want, which is an amazing thing within, you know, you think of a lot of the Marriott hotels. They're a little bit more boxy. They follow the structure. With the Autograph Collection hotels, you really get that ability to just do what you want and keep it kind of micro-local. Definitely more corporate. Now, you have a breakfast lunch and dinner restaurant here. Jim, most hotel properties of your style, this would be something that would be just an amenity for hotel guests, and, you know, you're lucky to break even. That's not what you want to do here, because particularly for happy hour and dinner, and you have a wonderful craft beer program, this is a destination for locals. Tell us a little bit more, because again, that's unusual. Sure. So, yeah, jute coastal kitchen. It's a great concept. It's just open. It's welcoming. You know, the location kind of changes almost daily, depending on who we have in the hotel, right? So, sometimes, you know, you'll see a lot of celebrities. You'll see a lot of sports stars, and then you'll see, you know, folks that are here for conferences as well, and the energy level changes with different guests that are here at the hotel. So, it's a great, you know, it's not just a traditional, like, hotel bar that you go to. Jute really focuses on mixology. Our chef Solomon is fantastic. He really likes to bring in a lot of the local purveyors to spotlight. Of course, some of you mentioned the draft beers. You know, of course, we have three weavers in Inglewood. There's LA L works and Hawthorne, so we're big partners with them. We like to keep it hyper-local, because, you know, when you're traveling, that's what you want to do is you want to experience what the area has to offer. In the South Bay is so vibrant, and there's so many, you know, great restaurants, great bars, great producers. It is really nice to just kind of have those offerings. And again, we have free rain to kind of showcase that. The other thing that's great about Jute Coastal Kitchen here is that we have an open concept, right? So, we call it the indoor outdoor enclave, because, as you can see here, we have the windows kind of closed, so, you know, keep a little quiet, but we can open it all up. Most mornings when you come down, the side's dealing with the fog that we've had here in the South Bay for the last few weeks, you know, super sun, you know, sun shiny and lovely and just having everything all wide open, great food. You have breakfast, lunch and dinner, Korean tacos, we have here that's like probably my favorite. We always run different specials as well. Some good guacamole too, I can tell you. Super fresh and amazing. But yeah, you know, and then we have our rush hour, which is like our take on happy hour. And, you know, where else can you get a five dollar beer nowadays? Jim, not many places. Now, as we almost need to say goodbye, one more time where the hotel is and the website, so people can get more information about what we're talking about and see the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus for jute, which I particularly recommend in looking at that lunch and dinner menu. Might be stopping there myself in a few minutes. Yeah, for sure. It's almost lunchtime, so let's wrap this up and go eat. But no, you can visit westdrift.com. That's our main hotel website, and there you'll see links to all the different events that we have going on, and of course, a jute coastal kitchen, our golf course. We also have pickleball here, so a lot of amenities here on property, and it's not just for hotel guests, you know, come down if you're local and you want to play pickleball. We have really cheap courts. It's 25 bucks for an hour. You can't beat that price. No, you can't. But yeah, come visit us, and you do get validation, you know, in the restaurant for parking. That's important. Don't let parking fees scare you. Yes, well, they do. Ladies and gentlemen, Jim McCaffordy, who is the director of catering events here at the West Drift Manhattan Beach. Again, Jim, thanks for the hospitality. My pleasure. It's been great to host you and host the Manhattan Beach Food-in-One. And more tonight, food fans, that's our show and our anniversary show. A tip of the talk to my co-host, chef Andrew Ruhl. My thanks to Mike Boyle here in technical excellence, Tony back in Angel Stadium in the control room, and Kudos also to Adam Bell behind the scenes on social media. Next week, of course, we are back with our usual fresh show. We're proudly presented to you by Melissa's World Variety Proteus. Dr. and the dugout with Alan Byer MD takes the field next. Good evening and be safe.
